Archive for Jul 29, 2011

Using Google Search on tablets hasn't been difficult, but the experience is about to get even easier. The company confirmed today that it will be rolling out an update to optimize its search interface for both iPads and Android tablets. The enhancements involve not only more touch-friendly elements but also faster-loading images and continuous scrolling.

Yesterday many things were revealed about Nintendo, facts about their abysmal earnings this past quarter, the fact that they had "few hit titles," and of course, most importantly, that the price of the Nintendo 3DS had been slashed to $170 from its original $250. Upon further analysis of the earnings call just hours ago, Nintendo's CEO Saturo Iwata appears to have revealed that the gaming company may be taking a loss on every 3DS unit sold with the cut. While some reports have Iwata saying that Nintendo's price cut for the 3DS was necessary and would improve the company's balance sheets this year and next, others have reported that he, in one set of words or another, said that Nintendo is now taking a loss on ever 3DS unit sold.

The much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone is finally making its way to the states and the company sure knows how to tease. Just yesterday we received a surprising little reminder from Samsung in the form of a mini telescope telling us to keep watch for the next generation Galaxy S. And today, the the company has posted a Galaxy S II sign-up page for folks in the U.S.

Vizio has long been known for its budget-friendly TVs and now they’ve entered the tablet market with their very first Android slate that’s similarly affordable. It quietly hit the market recently for $349. Given its lower-end target, the Vizio Tablet obviously isn’t competing for the most cutting-edge specs, but instead offers more functionality for the everyday consumer, packing in some rather unique features.

Sony Ericsson has announced that the Sony Qriocity streaming video service will be landing on select smartphones from the company's range as of August 1, with a choice of content from NBC, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and more. Arriving first on the XPERIA mini and mini pro, the Qriocity video app will allow for both rentals and purchases of titles.

Self-driving cars are still quite a few years off, but Volkswagen hopes that its so-called Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP) could help avoid a few accidents until then. The system, demonstrated for the first time on a new Passat test mule, uses a barrage of sensors to momentarily assist in the control of the car, keeping it positioned in the lane, under the speed limit and automatically slowing when workers are in the road.

I'm not sure what to think of this Chinese dude that took a fake MacBook Air to one of the only real Apple Stores in the country for support. Either the man is a moron that thinks his cut price FauxBook Air is real or he has the biggest balls of them all. The weird part is the Apple Genius at the store the dude made an appointment with actually helped him.

Intel's AppUp digital store chief Peter Biddle reckons Apple's App Store doesn't consider electrons enough to be a success, and believes that separating out hats and hammers, moms and hipsters is the way forward for software retail. "We love the idea that there could be thousands of stores" the exec suggested at a press event this week, The Register reports, cutting through the App Store morass by allowing independent store managers to curate their own selection.

Panasonics has home theater gear ranging from TVs to Blue-ray players and projectors. The line of home theater projectors has grown by one-step today with the unveiling of the new Panasonic PT-AE7000U projector. The new projector is interesting because it offers full HD resolution and 3D in one unit. Many of the 3D projectors out there are only 720p.

Yesterday we showed you pics of the cases that had surfaced that were supposed to be for the iPhone 5 according to sources. The cases in the leaked photos are made from silicon and are supposedly based on leaked details from Foxconn. The cases apparently will fit a device that has a wider screen and a tapered back.

HTC has announced that it has 6-8 new devices in the pipeline for the remainder of 2011, a mixture of Android, Windows Phone and tablet hardware. Confirmed as part of the company's Q2 financial results presentation, HTC failed to give an exact breakdown of which models will use which OS, but did say that Android would be the dominant platform. As for its money-making performance, HTC announced "record-breaking" results and the fifth consecutive quarter of growth, with NT$17.52bn ($607m) after-tax profits, more than doubling the performance in Q2 last year.

If Google didn’t see fit to bless you with an invite to the launch of its Google Music Beta program you may have felt slighted. You may even know someone that got into the beta round and been more than a little jealous. I hope that jealousy didn’t turn into some sort of bitter feud though considering the announcement that Google has now made.